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Kwon D, Knorr DA, Wiley KS, Young SL, Fox MM. Association of pica with cortisol and inflammation among Latina pregnant women. Am J Hum Biol 2024; 36:e24025. [PMID: 38050975 PMCID: PMC11062838 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pica, the urge to consume items generally not considered food, such as dirt, raw starch, and ice, are particularly common among pregnant women. However, the biology of pica in pregnancy is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to assess how pica relates to endocrine stress and immune biomarkers in a cohort of pregnant Latina women in Southern California. Thirty-four women completed a structured pica questionnaire. Maternal urinary cortisol and plasma cytokine levels were measured between 21 and 31 weeks' gestation. Associations between pica during pregnancy and biomarkers were assessed using linear regression models adjusting for gestational age. Twelve (35.3%) of the pregnant women reported pica (geophagy and amylophagy) during pregnancy. In multivariate models, those who engaged in pica had higher levels of cortisol (β: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.073) and lower levels of IL-1β (β: -0.06, 95% CI: -0.11, -0.02), IL-8 (β: -0.30, 95% CI: -0.56, -0.05), IL-21 (β: -0.35, 95% CI: -0.63, -0.08), and type-1 inflammation composite (β: -0.29, 95% CI: -0.44, -0.14) than women who did not engage in pica. These results suggest that biological stress and immune response differ for women with pica compared to those without. This study suggests novel physiological covariates of pica during pregnancy. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms and temporality underlying the observed associations between pica and endocrine and immune biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayoon Kwon
- Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angles, California, USA
| | - Delaney A Knorr
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angles, California, USA
| | - Kyle S Wiley
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angles, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angles, California, USA
| | - Sera L Young
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Molly M Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angles, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angles, California, USA
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Fox MM, Knorr DA, Kwon D, Wiley KS, Parrish MH. How prenatal cortisol levels relate to grandmother-mother relationships among a cohort of Latina women. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23883. [PMID: 36862026 PMCID: PMC10474942 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION As part of the human reproductive strategy, mothers receive childcare assistance from others. For kin, allomothers are adaptively incentivized to provide assistance due to inclusive fitness benefits. Previous studies across a broad range of populations identify grandmothers as particularly consistent allomothers. Minimal attention has been paid to the possibility that allomothers may begin investing in offspring quality during the prenatal stage of life. Here, we innovate within the area of grandmother allocare research by examining the prenatal stage of life and biopsychosocial mechanisms by which prenatal grandmother effects may be enacted. METHODS Data derive from the Mothers' Cultural Experiences study, a cohort of 107 pregnant Latina women in Southern California. At <16 weeks' gestation, we administered questionnaires, collected morning urine samples, and measured cortisol by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, correcting for specific gravity. We measured the soon-to-be maternal and paternal grandmothers' relationship quality, social support, frequency of seeing each other, communicating, and geographic proximity to pregnant mothers, that is, their daughters and daughters-in-law. These measures were self-reported by the pregnant mothers. We assessed how grandmother constructs related to the pregnant women's depression, stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels. RESULTS We observed benefits conferred by maternal grandmothers for mothers' prenatal mental health and lower cortisol levels. Paternal grandmothers also conferred mental health benefits to pregnant daughters-in-law, but higher cortisol levels. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that grandmothers, especially maternal grandmothers, are able to improve their inclusive fitness by caring for pregnant daughters, and allomother support may positively impact prenatal health. This work extends the traditional cooperative breeding model by identifying a prenatal grandmother effect, and, by examining a maternal biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly M. Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 USA
| | - Delaney A. Knorr
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 USA
| | - Dayoon Kwon
- Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 USA
| | - Kyle S. Wiley
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095 USA
| | - Michael H. Parrish
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
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Chua KJ, Knorr DA, Jimenez J, Francia A, Rojas V, Garcia JI, Fox M. What Do Your Neighbors Think About You? How Perceived Neighbor Attitudes Toward Latinos Influence Mental Health Among a Pregnant Latina Cohort. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2023:10.1007/s40615-023-01684-5. [PMID: 37391606 PMCID: PMC10756922 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-023-01684-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Latina women living in the USA experience disproportionately higher rates of psychological distress compared to their non-Latina White counterparts. Poor maternal mental health during pregnancy can contribute to intergenerational mental health disparities. Through this pathway, mothers' experiences, environments, and exposures (henceforth "exposures") during pregnancy become biologically embodied and can negatively affect the fetus and life-long developmental trajectories of her child. One of the exposures that can affect mother-offspring dyads is the neighborhood. With the goal of integrating anthropological and sociological theories to explain mental health disparities among pregnant Latina women, we explored how perceptions of neighbor attitudes may influence mental health during pregnancy. We analyzed self-reported responses from 239 pregnant Latina women in Southern California (131 foreign-born, 108 US-born) on their mental health and perceived attitudes of their neighbors using multiple linear regression models. Among foreign-born Latina women, living in neighborhoods with more favorable views of Latinos was associated with lower depression scores (pooled β = - .70, SE = .29, p = .019) and lower pregnancy-related anxiety scores (pooled β = - .11, SE = .05, p = .021), but greater state anxiety scores (pooled β = .09, SE = .04, p = .021). Among US-born women, there were no associations between neighbor attitudes and mental health. Overall, results suggest that social environments are correlated with mental health and that foreign-born and US-born Latinas have varied mental health experiences in the USA. Our findings highlight the importance of improving aspects of neighborhood cohesion as part of maternal-fetal care management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine J Chua
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- California Center for Population Research, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Delaney A Knorr
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- California Center for Population Research, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Janelly Jimenez
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Arlene Francia
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Valeria Rojas
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Jhoana Infante Garcia
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Molly Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Los Angeles, 341 Haines Hall, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- California Center for Population Research, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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Knorr DA, Fox M. An evolutionary perspective on the association between grandmother-mother relationships and maternal mental health among a cohort of pregnant Latina women. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022; 44:30-38. [PMID: 37065817 PMCID: PMC10100916 DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Grandmothers are often critical helpers during a mother's reproductive career. Studies on the developmental origins of health and disease demonstrate how maternal psychological distress can negatively influence fetal development and birth outcomes, highlighting an area in which soon-to-be grandmothers (henceforth "grandmothers") can invest to improve both mother and offspring well-being. Here, we examine if and how a pregnant woman's mental health- specifically, depression, state-anxiety, and pregnancy-related anxiety- is influenced by her relationship with her fetus' maternal and paternal grandmother, controlling for relationship characteristics with her fetus' father. In a cohort of pregnant Latina women in Southern California (N = 216), we assessed social support, geographic proximity, and communication between the fetus' grandmothers and pregnant mother. We assessed maternal mental health with validated questionnaire-based instruments. We find that both social support from and communication with the maternal grandmother were statistically associated with less depression, while no paternal grandmother relationship characteristics were statistically significant in association with any mental health variable. These results align with the idea that maternal grandmothers are more adaptively incentivized to invest in their daughters' well-being during pregnancy than paternal grandmothers are for their daughters-in-law. Results suggest that the positive association of maternal grandmothers with mothers' mental health may not hinge on geographic proximity, but rather, potentially function through emotional support. This work represents a novel perspective describing a psychological and prenatal grandmaternal effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delaney A. Knorr
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
- Corresponding author at: 375 Portola Plaza, 341 Haines Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America. (D.A. Knorr)
| | - Molly Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
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Age at Arrival and Depression among Mexican Immigrant Women in Alabama: The Moderating Role of Culture. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095342. [PMID: 35564737 PMCID: PMC9103432 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Mexican-born women in the U.S. are at high risk of depression. While acculturation is the primary analytical framework used to study immigrant mental health, this research suffers from (1) a lack of specificity regarding how cultural models of living and being take shape among migrants converging in new destinations in the U.S., and (2) methods to empirically capture the impact of cultural positioning on individual health outcomes. Instead of relying on proxy measures of age at arrival and time in the U.S. to indicate where an individual is located on the acculturation spectrum, this study uses cultural consensus analysis to derive the substance and structure of a cultural model for la buena vida (the good life) among Mexican immigrant women in Birmingham, Alabama, and then assesses the extent to which respondents are aligned with the model in their everyday lives. This measure of 'cultural consonance' is explored as a moderating variable between age at arrival in the U.S. and number of depressive symptoms. Results demonstrate that for those who arrived at an older age, those with lower consonance are at the highest risk for depression, while those who are more aligned with la buena vida are at lower risk.
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